The War
by Allegra DuBaer
Summary: Hermione Granger is one of the leaders in a struggle for power between Cair Paravel and Hogwarts, but she hates the war. Then she meets Edmund, and begins to fall in love with him. Torn between her duty and her heart, she doesn't know what to do.
1. Chapter 1

The notes of a Mozart sonata echoed throughout the Room of Requirement. The size of the room changed from day to day, depending on my mood; sometimes it was as vast as a theatre, other times hardly larger than a broom cupboard. Today it was a magnificent performance hall, complete with a gorgeous grand piano. When I had had a tough day, I liked to come here and pretend I was playing in front of a huge, adoring audience who was hanging on my every note. Sometimes I played for so long I would fall asleep on the piano.

In the midst if the piece I felt the gold coin I kept in my pocket growing warm, then hot. I ignored it for as long as I could before the heat became unbearable. Regretfully I let the music fade, staying seated until the echo of the last chord had died.

The coin was a signal: its heat meant that Harry needed us. Lately t had been burning more and more frequently as the war with Cair Paravel worsened.

I made my way up to Dumbledore's old office, the meeting room for the heads of our army. Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Luna were already there; only Neville and Draco were missing. Harry looked up as I entered and waved me to a seat beside Ginny. "Have you seen the others?" he asked.

"Draco and Neville?" No. I don't know where they are," I said, sitting down.

Harry glanced at his watch. "I guess we can wait a few more minutes." We sat in silence. It was sad; at one time, we all would have been laughing and talking, but the war had left us all drained.

Finally Harry sighed and said, "We'll just have to start without them. Someone can get them caught up later. There's nothing urgent to discuss, anyways. I just wanted to exchange information with everyone. Alright then—Ginny, why don't you go first?"

Finny had just opened her mouth to begin her report when the door burst open and Draco staggered in, covered in dirt and blood. We all began to rise from our seats, but he waved us down.

"Hermione," he gasped, "can you—"

"Of course, "I said, hurrying over to him. I had been appointed Hogwarts' unofficial healer ages ago, as I knew the most healing magic.

Luckily most of Draco's injuries were minor. I was able to fix almost all of them by the time he had finished his story.

"They got Neville," he said, once he had caught his breath.

No one said anything for a moment. Then Luna posed the question we were all afraid to ask. "Is he dead?"

Draco shook his head, wincing as I examined his bruises and scrapes. "Captured," he said. "I think they're keeping him as a prisoner."

"Damn," Harry swore. "We _need_ Neville. I suppose we'll have to arrange a trade—Neville for that fawn we captured three days ago, what was his name?"

"Tumnus," Ginny supplied.

He nodded. "Right. He didn't give away much when we questioned him, but I gathered he was quite important. Do you think they'll go for that?" Harry asked Draco.

"Probably," Draco replied. "I think that might have been the point of the attack, actually."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Ron glaring at me as I cupped Draco's face in my hands. "Hold still," I instructed, ignoring Ron. I stared intently into his eyes for a moment. One of his pupils was slightly larger than the other. I let my hands drop. "I thought so. You've got a minor concussion."

"What? No! I'm fine!" Draco protested.

"No, you're not. You can't even stand up straight. At least sit down."

Draco dropped into the seat beside me, earning another glare from Ron.

"If you two are quite finished, then may be get on?" Ron asked waspishly.

"Oh, _do_ forgive me," I snapped. "I'll just let the next person drop dead, shall I? So as not to waste any of your precious time."

"Guys," Harry said warningly, "cut it out.

Both Ron and I fell silent, although we continued to glare at the other across the table.

"We need to send a part to negotiate," said Harry. "Agreed?" We all nodded. "Right then. Who shall we send? I suggest four people, since they have four main leaders."

"I don't think the youngest sister has much to do with it, actually," Ginny pointed out.

Harry shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's the symbolism that counts. Four kings and queens, four wizards and witches."

"So who's going to go, then?" asked Luna. "There are six of us, not counting Neville."

"Well Harry, obviously," said Ginny.

"And Ron," Harry added.

"Then Hermione should go, too. That leaves us with one more person."

Draco started to volunteer himself, but I cut him off.

"There is no way you can go, Draco. As I believe I pointed out earlier, you can hardly stand up straight, let alone escort a prisoner to Cair Paravel."

"She's right, you know," said Harry. "She usually is." He grinned at me, and I smiled back, and for a moment things felt like they had before the war.

"So who else are you taking then?" Draco asked.

"Not Luna," Harry decided. "None of the Narnians have seen her before, as far as we know. That could give us an advantage, and we shouldn't waste it. We'll take Ginny instead.

"Right. I'll meet you three in the Great Hall in" -he checked his watch—"half an hour. Oh, and we'll need something white, a banner or a flag."

"I'll deal with that," I said.

Everyone stood up to leave. I grabbed Draco by the arm before he could sneak off. "Not so fast. I'm taking you to the hospital wing and you are going to rest. And no, there's no use arguing."

He protested a little, but looked a bit pleased. Ginny's eyes flicked between the two of us, but all she said was, "I'll see you in the common room, Hermione."

Draco and I walked to the hospital wing in silence, him leaning on me slightly just in case. In the corridor before the infirmary he stopped and turned to face me.

"Hermione—" he began.

"Don't'," I said. "Draco, you've told me how you feel about me, but my feelings haven't changed. You're a great friend, but that's all. I'm sorry." I hated doing this to him, but it would have felt even worse to lie.

He looked a little sad, but he said, "I know. You would have told me. It's just…I—just be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you."

I gave him a hug. "It's only a negotiation, Draco, not a full out battle. I'll be fine. Now, off the infirmary, before you topple over."

Ginny was sitting by the fire in the common room when I got back. "So?" she asked.

I sighed and sat down beside her. "Nothing happened, Ginny."

"Do you wish it had?" she asked shrewdly.

"No!" I protested. "I mean—well, yes, in a way, I suppose. I just…"

"You wish you could like him the way he likes you."

I nodded miserably. "He's such a great guy. Smart, funny, cute, nice…why can't I like him? Sometimes I try to _make _myself like him, but I just can't."

"And he knows that, so don't beat yourself up about it. You guys are still friends," Ginny pointed out. "We had better get going if we're going to meet the boys on time. Come on."

I quickly Summoned a bedsheet to use as a white flag, then followed Ginny through the portrait hole and down the stairs. Harry and Ron were already waiting for us when we got to the Great Hall.

We walked in silence towards Cair Paravel, Ginny and I using our wands the keep the white sheet aloft. As I had told Draco, it was not a very dangerous mission; our flag was large enough to be seen from quite a distance away, and although they were our enemies, I knew the Narnians had a strong sense of honour. Even with so little chance of an attack, I still felt nervous for some reason.

At the gates to the castle we were stopped by the two fauns acting as guards. "We wish to speak with the Kings and Queens," said Harry.

The one on the left nodded and said," Wait here." He ducked inside the gate fir a moment to give an order to someone I couldn't see before resuming his position. We waited, still not talking until a large mouse pushed its way through the gate and gestured for us to follow it. The mouse led us through the castle to a large room. At the end of the room were four thrones, but they were unoccupied; instead, a cluster of people sat at the head of the table that had been placed in the centre of the room. A figure I recognized immediately sat at the head of the table; Peter Pevensie, the high king and leader of the Narnians. On his right sat Susan Pevensie. As the oldest sister, she would be Peter's second-in-command. To Peter's left was a younger girl. I hadn't seen her before, but from her similarity to Peter and Susan I judged her to be Lucy Pevensie, the youngest of the four siblings. Also sitting around the table was an assortment of fauns, dryads, centaurs, animals, and other creatures who were obviously part of Peter's council.

Peter bowed slightly to the four of us. Harry nodded curtly in response. "Take a seat," Peter invited, gesturing to the empty seats at the end of the table. Once we were settled he asked, "I see you bear a white flag. Have you come to surrender?"

"When hell freezes over!" spat Ron, jumping to his feet.

Harry gave Ron a warning look, and Ron sat down again, glowering. "No," said Harry. "We've come to negotiate."

"Yes?" said Peter.

"I believe you recently captured one of our men, Neville Longbottom."

Peter nodded. "That's correct."

"We propose a trade—Neville for the faun Tumnus."

Lucy made a small sound, like a stifled gasp, and covered her mouth with her hand. Peter glanced at her quickly before looking at Harry again. "We're willing to discuss terms," he said.

I lost interest around this point. I knew Harry and Ron could handle it fine on their own, besides, I knew from experience that they preferred me and Ginny not to "interfere". Instead I looked around the hall. It really was quite magnificent, all white marble with gold ornamentation.

A boy slipped into the room and went to stand behind. As everyone else was intent on the debate, I seemed to be the only one who noticed him. I spared him a quick glance, although I was pretty sure I knew who he was: Edmund Pevensie, the youngest brother in the family.

And suddenly I found I couldn't stop looking at him. Everything else seemed to disappear into the background, and I started to have trouble breathing. He was about my age, tall and pale with dark hair and dark eyes. Not as broad as Peter, but lean and wiry instead.

I could have stopped it there. I could have torn my eyes away and feigned interest in what was being discussed. But I didn't. I just kept looking at him, and then he looked up. Our eyes locked.

I lost track of time after that; I've no idea how long the meeting lasted. It wasn't long enough for me, though, because as soon as an agreement had been reached and we had left the castle, I wanted to go back. It didn't matter if I talked to him. All I wanted to do was see him, just for a few more minutes.

So, when we were back at Hogwarts and Harry asked for volunteers to escort Tumnus to the designated meeting place, I immediately raised my hand. He looked a bit surprised, because I usually tried to stay clear of this sort of thing, but he picked me anyways. I knew it was crazy—what were the chances of Edmund would be escorting Neville?—but I was desperate to see him again. Even a tiny chance was better than no chance at all.

Two hours later, I later standing in the Entrance Hall with Ernie Macmillan, Blaise Zabini, and of course Mr. Tumnus. We walked towards the Stone Table, a site approximately halfway between Hogwarts and Cair Paravel and the place we had arranged to meet the Narnians. As we approached, my heart began to pound. I tried to remind myself that he probably wouldn't even be there, but reasoning was overruled by desire.

The first person I saw was Lucy Pevensie, standing on the stone table. We were still far enough away that although we could see her, she couldn't see us through the trees, and she was craning her neck anxiously to try and spot us.

"They sent _her_?" Blaise said in surprise. "She can't be more than twelve!"

"Harry was twelve when he took on the basilisk," Ernie pointed out. "Beside, I heard they all grew up the first time they were in Narnia, but just went back to their original ages when they came back. So she's sort of—hey, slow down, Hermione."

Without noticing I had quickened my pace. "Sorry," I said.

He was there. He had back to us at first, and was talking to the minotaur who completed their escort, but he turned around as soon as he heard us approaching. Lucy leapt down from the table and ran over to Tumnus, but I hardly noticed. Just like that morning, everything else seemed to fade away once I saw Edmund. He looked at me with those dark eyes of his, and all I wanted to do was—

_ Was what?_ said the sensible part of my brain. You know nothing about this boy, except that he's good-looking. _And he's on the wrong side of a war—are you willing to risk the friends you have now for a boy who might be horrible?_

Suddenly the happy fog I had been in since the morning evaporated, and I was thrust back into cold, harsh reality. I was right, of course; it would be foolish to throw my life away for someone I didn't even know. With effort I dragged my eyes away from him. Throughout the exchange of hostages, I tried not to look at him more than was strictly necessary.

And there it could have ended. Although I was strongly attracted to Edmund, I certainly wasn't in love with him after only two impersonal encounters. I could easily have gone back to the castle and forgotten about him after a few days. Maybe I would have caved eventually and ended up with Draco.

I would have done it,, but Edmund didn't let me.


	2. Chapter 2

A few days later, I was back in the Room of Requirement. Ron and I had just gotten into a huge fight, and I was still fuming. I pounded out the angriest, most passionate, and most complicated pieces I knew on the piano. I was so absorbed in pouring my feelings into the music that I didn't notice that someone had slipped into the room behind me.

When I came to the end of an especially difficult piece, I closed my eyes and let the memory of the music wash over me until I forgot about everything else.

Someone behind me said, "You're really good, you know."

I leapt up so fast I knocked over the piano bench and whirled around. Edmund Pevensie was standing on the ledge that ran all the way around the room, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He leapt down and started to walk towards me.

"Don't move," I said, pulling out my wand and pointing it at him. Whatever else he might be, he was first and foremost an enemy.

Edmund held up his hands and said, "Relax. I'm unarmed." I lowered my wand slightly, but didn't put it away; I had heard that he was equally good at hand-to-hand combat as fencing, if not better.

"Why are you here?" I asked as he drew nearer. "If you're a spy, you'd do better to try your luck elsewhere. You won't learn anything from me."

He smiled, and despite everything my heart sped up. "I _am_ spying, actually, but I think I've found out almost everything I wanted to know," he said.

"Oh? Like what?" _I should call for help_, I thought. _He's one of their leaders. If we capture him, it could change the outcome of the entire war._

"Like that the girl I saw three days ago plays the piano beautifully," said Edmund. "Like that she's sad about something, and I want to find out what it is so that I can make it go away. Like that she's even more beautiful up close than I had imagined."

I held my hand behind my back so that he couldn't see how much they were shaking. "How do you know I'm sad?" I asked.

"It's in your eyes, and in the way you play. You've hidden it well, but…well, I spent a long time looking at you the other day," he said, blushing slightly.

_It's a trick_, said the part of my mind that had spoken out against Edmund the first time. _Don't trust him. Call for help. The coin is in your pocket…_

When I didn't say anything Edmund sighed and asked, "Could you at least tell me your name?"

"Hermione," I told him without thinking. "Hang on—you expect me to believe that you came all the way here to see me, and you don't even know who I am?"

"Yes," he said simply.

"Why?"

"Because it's the truth."

"I meant why would you risk your own life to see a girl you've never even talked to?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. When I saw you for the first time, I couldn't stop looking at you. I didn't _want_ to stop looking at you. And, well,"—his blush deepened—"you were looking at me, and I thought maybe you felt something too.

"So I volunteered to escort your friend Neville to the stone table, hoping I'd see you again. And of course I did, but you completely ignored me. I suppose I just came to find out what you thought about me."

"How do you know I've thought about you at all?" I was surprised at how cool and steady I was managing to keep my voice.

"I don't," Edmund said," but I hoped. I know I've thought about you."

I sat down on the piano bench to stop my knees from shaking. This kind of thing didn't happen to girls like me, it happened to people like Ginny, or Cho Chang.

"One word from you, Hermione, and I won't come back, ever. I swear. You can pretend we've never even met, if you like; I won't tell anyone. But I have to know. Please."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "I don't know what I think about anything anymore. I should have turned you in to Harry or Ron as soon as you turned up here. That's what we're supposed to do. But I didn't, and I don't know why."

Both of us were silent for a moment. Then Edmund gestured to the piano bench and said," May I sit?" I nodded.

"Do you know any duets?" he asked once he was seated.

"A few," I admitted. "But I don't get much of a chance to practice them. No one else here plays. Most of them think it's stupid to spend hours practicing when you can just charm a piano to play by magic."

Edmund frowned but didn't say anything; I suppose he didn't want to criticize my friends in front of me. Then his smile came back—I felt my heart flutter—and he asked, "Do you know this one?" He played the first few bars of a piece.

It was a song I had heard, and played, many times before; one of the gorgeous compositions that are written in a major key but still manage to sound mournful enough to break your heart. I smiled and answered with the duo part of the melody.

As we played through the piece, I realized I was feeling happier than I had in a long time. I didn't want it to end, but of course it did, and far too soon. Somehow Edmund and I had moved closer together while we played so that our legs were now touching. It was only a slight contact, but I could feel it as strongly as if someone had punched me.

We turned to look at each other. Our faces were only millimeters apart, and I was sure he would be able to hear my heart pounding.

"Hermione…" he whispered.

And then the heat of the coin in my pocket, which I hadn't noticed until now, finally reached such a temperature that it cut through my daze.

"I have to go," I said, fishing the coin out of my pocket.

Edmund looked sad, but he nodded. He got off the bench and started walking towards the door, and I knew he wouldn't come back again. My words had sounded like a dismissal.

_I guess that's it_, I thought as I watched him leave. I felt miserable.

Before the war, I would have left it at that. To do anything else would have been to betray my friends; but the war had turned everything upside down, and I wasn't sure anymore. All I knew was that suddenly, I wanted to do something for myself for once, something that would make _me_ happy, without caring what anyone else would think.

"Edmund," I called after him, just before he reached the door. He turned to look at me, and even across the room I could see a faint trace of hope in his eyes. It gave me enough courage to finish what I was going to say. "Maybe—maybe I could see you again sometime?"

He smiled, and it was so happy and so contagious that I couldn't help but smile back.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" I said, jerking back to the present. I was pretty sure someone had just asked me a question.

Harry sighed and said, "I asked if you had anything new to report."

"Anything new…? Oh…no. Nothing new." Lately I had had more and more trouble concentrating during our meetings. I kept thinking about Edmund—wondering where he was, what he was doing, if he was thinking about me. Wondering if he really would come back to see me again.

It had been a week since the afternoon in the Room of Requirement. Knew it was dangerous for him, sneaking into Hogwarts, so it made sense for him to wait a while before his next visit, but I think secretly I had been hoping to see him again the next day.

As everyone seemed to be preparing to leave, I guessed the meeting had finished. I stood up as well, but Harry, who was still sitting, said, "Hermione, can I talk to you for a sec?"

I sank back into my seat nervously. Had Harry found out about Edmund somehow? If he had, I didn't know how he would react. Would he think I was a traitor?

Once everyone else had left, Harry turned to me and asked, "Is everything OK with you?"

This certainly wasn't what I had been expecting, and the question caught me off guard. "Um, yes?" I ventured.

"It's just… you've seemed kind of preoccupied lately," he said.

"Oh." I looked down at my hands. "I've just had a lot on my mind."

He nodded. "I get it. But hey, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always ready to listen. I know I've been busy—we've all been—but you're still one of my best friends."

"Thanks," I said, trying to smile. "But I'm fine. Really."

Harry looked like he had more to say on the subject, but before he had a chance to speak Colin Creevey burst through the door and said, "Come quick, Harry! There's been an attack!"

Jumping up, Harry started to follow Colin, then turned back to me and said, "Just remember what I said, okay?" He flashed me a quick smile before dashing off.

I sat there for a moment by myself, not quite sure what I was feeling. It was good to hear Harry say that, I realized, because I think all of us were in danger of forgetting sometimes; but I also felt terribly guilty about how much I wanted to see Edmund again. Eventually I got up and left Dumbledore's office, barely noticing where my feet were taking me until I was standing in front of the door to the Room of Requirement. I hesitated, but only for a minute. Why shouldn't I go in? It _was_ my practice room, after all.

I opened the door, and there he was. Edmund was standing with his back to me, examining a painting hung on the wall. I forced myself to walk over to him, not to run, and hoped my voice would work. My throat felt like it had closed up.

He turned around just before I got to him and smiled when he saw me. "You came back," I said, giving him a weak smile in return.

"I couldn't stay away. "My heart sped up. "Look what I've found." He pointed to an old-fashioned gramophone with a stack of records beside it.

"Cool," I said. "Should we try it out?"

"Sure. How about… this one?" he asked, setting the needle down. The notes of Debussy's _Clair de Lune_ spilled softly out of the speaker, and I caught my breath; how could Edmund have known that I thought this to be one of the most beautiful pieces ever written?

We didn't even have to speak. His hand found mine and our fingers laced together, our eyes staying locked the whole time. As we swayed in time to the music, I started to relax, enough that I was soon resting my head on his shoulder.

When the song ended we broke apart, but only slightly. Edmund reached up to brush a strand of hair out of my face, and my skin tingled at his touch. Then gently, he turned my face towards his and kissed me.

Heat shot through me; it felt as if my whole body were on fire. I kissed back, timidly at first, then more fiercely. All I wanted was Edmund, and I wanted him so badly it almost hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. We stayed like that for ages, trying to get as much of each other as possible, and when we finally broke apart both of us were panting.

"I should go," Edmund said hoarsely, but he made no move to leave.

I knew that I should go, too; I had been with Edmund long enough that people might start to wonder where I was, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay here forever, just me and him, while the world and its problems went on without us.

Then, faintly, I began to hear someone calling my name in the hall outside the Room—I realized belatedly that if, as Colin had said, there had been an attack, I might be needed to tend people's injuries. Edmund obviously heard it as well, because he started to let go of me.

"Wait—" I kissed him once more, but this time our kiss was filled with desperation. "Come back soon. Please."

He grinned recklessly and said, "Just try to stop me." Then he slipped through the secret passage to the Hog's Head and was gone.

I stood there, staring at the place he had been and willing him to reappear. Finally I shook my head to clear it and started for the door. But first—

"I need I mirror," I said, partly to myself and partly to the Room. When I turned, one was hanging on the wall.

My hair was messy, from where Edmund had run his fingers through it, but it was so bushy anyways that I doubted anyone would notice. My eyes were slightly overbright and looked almost feverish, but I again I didn't think anyone would see a difference unless they were looking for one; and my lips, although they felt hot and swollen, also looked more or less normal. I straightened my shirt, took a deep breath, and walked out of the Room.

It was Ron who had been calling me. "There you are," he said with relief. "I've been looking everywh—hey, are you alright? You look a bit flushed."

"I'm fine," I assured him, a downright lie. There were no words to describe the tangle of emotions I was feeling right now. "What's up?"

"There's been an attack," Ron told me. "Nothing serious, but there are a few people who need cleaning up. You ready?"

I nodded. My own personal problems would have to wait—right now, toher people needed me. "I'm ready," I said.


	4. Chapter 4

I was kept so busy over the next few days that I hardly had time to agonize over when Edmund would visit next, but I still thought about him almost constantly—our kiss, the way he looked at me, everything I like most about him. It was hard not to tell anyone, especially Ginny; she always told me about her boyfriends, but I wasn't sure how she would react to Edmund.

Most nights I'd been falling straight into bed, trying to get as much sleep as I could before diving back in to the hectic schedule of healing, planning, and training, so when I finally seemed likely to get a day or two's respite I took full advantage of it. Instead of the quick, efficient showers I'd been having I decided to have a long, hot bath.

I was lying submerged in the foamy water, dozing slightly in the heat, when someone knocked gently at the door. Thinking it was Ginny or Luna, wanting in the brush their teeth, I murmured, "Come in," and sank deeper into the bubbles.

A voice that definitely did _not_ belong to one of my roommates said, "I hope this—oh, er, sorry, I didn't realize you were… I'll just, um, wait outside, shall I?"

I jerked up. "Edmund?"

Blushing furiously, he said again, "Sorry," and started to leave.

"No—no, it's fine. Just close your eyes for a second." I climbed out of the bathtub and wrapped myself in a fluffy white bathrobe. "I'm fine now," I told him.

"I didn't know this was the bathroom," he said, still looking slightly pink. He was more embarrassed than I was, which made me smile.

"Don't worry about it," I said, taking his hand.

He grinned sheepishly and pulled me in closer. We kissed, a long, slow, wonderful kiss in the steam of the bathroom. Eventually we ended up back in the room I shared with Ginny and Luna. Curling up side by side on my bed, we talked—about the war, about his family, about my friends, about our pasts. Occasionally he would lean over and kiss me again, and we would be silent for a while.

It was nice to be with someone I could really talk to. For the brief period Viktor Krum and I had been together in fourth year, that was a problem I had noticed; we didn't have that much to talk about, partly because his English wasn't very good and I spoke absolutely no Bulgarian, but mostly because we didn't really have that much in common. With Edmund it was completely different: we wanted to know everything about each other.

Part way through I asked timidly, "Edmund? How can we be, well, anything with the war between us? I mean, both sides are bound to find out eventually."

He was silent for so long I wondered if I had scared him off, talking about the future so early. _Maybe he's not serious about me_, I thought. My heart suddenly felt like it was made of lead.

But then Edmund sighed and said, "I don't know, Hermione. But we'll figure something out. I promise."

I smiled at him. I liked the way he said that—_we'll figure something out_, as if there really was a _we._ As if we weren't Hermione and Edmund anymore, but Hermione-and-Edmund, together.

He had been smiling back at me, but then it faded and he got an intense look in his eyes. "Hermione," he said, low and urgent, as if he had to tell me. "I know we haven't known each other that long, but—"

That was when Ginny walked in.

"Oh sorry," she said, smirking. "I hope I didn't interrupt anythi—" Edmund sat up, and she stared at him. Then she reached for her wand.

"Ginny!" I said. She ignored me. "Ginny, wait! I can explain everything, I swear!"

"I think maybe I'd better go," muttered Edmund.

"Don't move," Ginny said sharply, keeping her wand trained on him.

I moved so that I was in front of him. "Please, just let me explain!" I pleaded.

Her eyes flicked between Edmund and me and for one long, awful moment I thought she was going to ignore me. Then she lowered her wand slightly and said to Edmund, "Fine. You have one minute to get out of here or I'll curse you." To me she said, "This had better be good, Hermione."

Edmund stood to leave, then turned back to me. "Can you meet me by the Stone Table around ten tomorrow night?" he whispered.

I nodded and said franticly, "Go!" He kissed me on the cheek then hurried out of the room.

I looked at Ginny. This wasn't how I had wanted her to find out, but I would have to deal with it. "Ginny…"

And then the whole story came pouring out of me. I told her absolutely everything that had happened since the day I had first seen Edmund. She listened without interruption, and after I had finished she stayed silent, just like Edmund had earlier this evening, long enough that I started to worry.

"You have to believe me," I said to her, almost in tears. "I wouldn't do this for just any guy. I've never felt this way about anyone before, and I haven't even known him that long."

Ginny nodded slowly. "I believe you," she said. "I don't like it, but I know you're telling the truth. I just think—"

"He's not a spy. He hasn't asked me a single question about our plans our anything,," I said quickly.

She looked a bit skeptical, but she said, "Okay, fine. But how does he get into Hogwarts? And I'd like to know how he knows where you are."

"He gets in to the castle through that secret passage from the Hog's Head. I don't know how he finds me, though." I'd never thought about that before. I made a mental not to ask him about it next time I saw him—_tomorrow night_, I thought happily.

Ginny yawned and said, "Well, we haven't been murdered in our beds yet, so I guess we can leave it."

"So… you won't tell the others?" I asked.

"Not unless anything happens because of this." Then she smiled and said, "Hey, maybe you can introduce him to me sometime. Properly, I mean."

"Yeah," I said. "I'd like that."

I went to bed happy that night. I'd be seeing Edmund again in less than twenty-four hours, and I now I had my best friend to talk to as well. Life was looking decidedly less grim than a few weeks earlier.


	5. Chapter 5

By midmorning my good mood had evaporated. After having spent three hours planning attacks with Ginny, Luna, and the boys, I was starting to realize how hopeless my predicament was. There seemed no way this war would ever be ever.

An idea struck me as we were breaking for lunch. It certainly wouldn't solve all of our problems, but it was a start. I would have preferred to talk it over with Edmund to see what he thought, or even Ginny, but I needed to speak with Harry alone and I wasn't sure when I would get another chance.

I waited until everyone else had left, then asked Harry, "Do you have a minute?"

He was still seated at the table flipping through maps and reports, but when I spoke he looked up and said, "Sure. What's up?"

"Have you ever thought about _why_ we're doing this?" I asked. When he looked at me blankly I added, "I mean, what's this war about, really?"

He seemed a bit surprised, but he shrugged and said, "Power, I suppose."

"Why? We never wanted to rule."

"No, but we don't want to be ruled, either," Harry pointed out.

"Everyone acts like those are the only two options, and they're not!" I exclaimed. Harry looked slightly alarmed at my outburst, I guess because I was usually one of the quieter, calmer leaders. "Sorry. But Narnia's a kingdom, right? It's only fair that they have their own rulers and laws and everything. And Hogwarts is a school. We just want to teach, and to be able to make our own decisions as to how and what we teach. They're fighting to keep control over their country, which is hardly unreasonable, and we're fighting to keep control over our school. Our friends are dying out there, Harry, and they don't need to. We can sort this out peacefully. If we keep fighting, no one will win. We'll destroy each other." I just wanted to make sure he understood what I was trying to say. "So, um, yeah. That's it," I finished lamely.

Harry frowned. He was silent for a long time, and I started to fidget nervously, but then he said, "You may be right, Hermione. Do me a favour, though, and don't talk to anyone else about this yet. They might take it the wrong way. Just… let me think about things, ok?"

I nodded, then left him to his work. I had to fight back a smile; it had been so easy! I had expected him to argue, to need convincing, but I had underestimated how much influence I had over him. He had practically agreed. Of course, I still had to talk the others around the idea of a truce—which would have to wait until Harry had given me the go-ahead—but he was the most important. With him behind me, everyone else would have to listen.

The rest of the day just couldn't pass fast enough. Every couple of minutes I would glance at my watch, willing time to past more quickly. Finally nine thirty came, and I crept into the hallways with Ginny, who had agreed to help me sneak out of the castle. I was heading for the Entrance Hall, hoping the door would be open and it would be empty, but Ginny shook her head and pulled me down a side hall. "I know a better way," she whispered. She led me to a place I must have passed thousands of times: a hall on the fourth floor with a huge mirror, stretching from floor to ceiling, hung on the wall.

Ginny looked around furtively to make sure we were alone, then pointed her wand at the mirror and murmured, "Alohamora!" At first I thought nothing had happened, but when I looked at the mirror more closely I could see a sort of haze shimmering just above the surface of the silvered glass. Ginny stuck out her hand to touch the mirror and it sunk through, disappearing. She waved her arm around, making it look like it was cut off at the elbow, and said, "There's a secret passage behind here that most people don't know about. It leads to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, so you'll have to be careful."

"Ginny, thank you," I said. I didn't know how to tell her how much this meant to me, but she seemed to understand anyways.

"Don't mention it," she said, smiling slightly. "You'd do the same for me." I turned to leave but she added, "Hang on—I'm still not completely convinced he's a good guy. If you're not home by tomorrow morning, say around seven, I'm coming to look for you." I hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. It wasn't so much the curfew that bothered me as the fact that she still didn't trust Edmund, but I didn't really have a choice. I stepped through the mirror, and Ginny vanished from my sight.

The walk through the passage took almost twenty minutes. I kept checking my watch, hoping I wouldn't be late, but eventually I came to a set of steps leading up to a door. Clambering out I looked around cautiously, checking for any Forest creatures, and gasped with surprise; the door I had just come out of was carved into the hollow trunk of a tree. I pulled out my wand and carved a tiny _X_ in its bark so that I would be able to find it again. Then I set off for the Stone Table.

Although I was out the Hogwarts forest I was still walking through a heavily wooded area, the shadows cast by the trees making the night seem even darker than it was. It made me nervous, being there alone; at least in the Forbidden Forest I had a vague idea of the sort of creatures that inhabited it, but here I knew next to nothing—this was a Narnian forest, filled with Narnian creatures. I was relieved to see the Stone Table finally appear, moonlight illuminating the tunes that were carved around its edges. There was one panicked moment when I thought I had come to late, because Edmund was nowhere to be seen, but then he stood up out of the shadows where he had been sitting and stepped into the faint light.

As always when I saw him, everything else seemed to fade away until the two of us were the only people in the entire world. I smiled—it was impossible not to—and ran towards him, pulling him close. He embraced me in return and we kissed passionately.

When we finally broke apart Edmund helped me up onto the Stone Table and lay on our backs side by side, staring up at the sky. We were past the point where we needed to talk; knowing the other was there, and feeling them beside us, was all we needed. After a while, however, I remember there were things I had to tell him, questions I had to ask. I sat up reluctantly and explained to him what I had said to Harry earlier that day, and what Harry's reaction had been.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" I asked him.

Edmund nodded slowly. "I think so, yes," he said. "It's the simplest plan there is. There's no better place to start from. And—well, obviously I don't really know your friends, but my family is sensible, for the most part. Susan and Lucy, anyways. If I can convince them, a truce would be easy to forge."

We descended into a blissful silence again, sitting with our arms around each other. I was starting to feel sleepy, but I didn't want to miss a moment of our time together.

"Hermione," Edmund said eventually. His voice sounded strained, almost nervous.

"Mmm?" I murmured.

He took a deep breath, then said, "I think I'm in love with you."

I pulled back from him enough that I could see his face. "Really?"

Edmund nodded. He was watching me apprehensively, waiting for my reaction.

And then my heart won the battle it had been fighting with my brain since the first day I saw Edmund, and I said, "I'm in love with you, too."

It was the truth.

He smiled, then started to laugh, a laugh filled with mingled relief and happiness. Suddenly we were kissing again, but it was different then before; now we knew we belonged to each other completely.

Before I knew what was happening, I was helping Edmund undo the buttons on my shirt; suddenly we both realized what we were doing, and pulled away. "We shouldn't—" I said.

"I didn't mean—" he said at the same time.

We stammered and stuttered for a few moments until Edmund laughed and said, "This is ridiculous. You go first."

I smiled too, and tried to explain, but I felt flustered and lightheaded. "I'm sorry, it's not that—I'm just not ready for this."

"I understand." He put his arm around me, and I laid my head on his chest. "I don't think I am either. It was just…"

"I know," I said. My head was resting right over his heart; I could hear it pounding steadily, reassuringly.

"And… I wasn't trying to, I don't know, take advantage of you or anything," he said, blushing. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, too." We sat together in silence and watched the sun come up.


End file.
